1An expedition to keep watch over an area, especially by guards or police walking or driving around at regular intervals.

1. 1.1 A person or group of people sent to keep watch over an area.
   a police patrol stopped the man and searched him

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Well, she went out walking alone one night and she ran into a patrol of guards.
   • They are conducting door to door inquiries and have doubled high visibility night time police patrols in the area to reassure worried residents.
   • So, if they haven't indicted him, they're not sending out search patrols for him?
   • It meant extra patrols had to be sent out and police stations kept open 24 hours a day.
   • More police foot patrols will be sent on to the streets at pub chucking-out time in a bid to cut violent crime.
   • We asked the ski patrols to send us their accident report forms every two or three weeks.
   • Also, many small patrols shall have been sent out over the previous weeks.
   • We need more police patrols in the area to stop this vandalism and I think the police are doing this.
   • New Malden's safer neighbourhood team will deploy extra patrols to the area following the incident.
   • Finding nothing, patrols were sent out to expand the search area.
   • In this manner he watched two patrols walk under him, completely unaware of his presence.
   • He next turns up at 4 am when a Garda patrol stops him in the town centre and ask him his date of birth which he gives before they send him on his way.
   • But a couple of years ago, a police dog patrol was sent out to bring in a mentally disturbed person from a forest.
   • Extra police patrols were also sent out adding thousands to the wages bill.
   • We sent three patrols to escort the fire brigade which ties up our resources if a more serious incident takes place at the other end of town.
   • I was so absorbed in my thoughts that suddenly I walked straight into a patrol guard coming back from the chase.
   • The bureau confirmed their suspicions when it sent patrols into the countryside to round up deserters and men subject to conscription.
   • They are also offering to send out rubbish patrols after closing to pick up bottles, flyers and food wrappings in the immediate vicinity of the premises.

   Synonyms

   group, crew, gang, team, squad
2. 1.2mass noun The action of keeping watch over an area.
   the police were on patrol when they were ordered to investigate the incident

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It is understood a beach party was in full swing at the time and gardaí were on patrol in the area.
   • The policeman on patrol is primarily a ‘peace officer’ rather than a ‘law officer’.
   • The shift inspectors whose officers I had observed on patrol over many months offered either to escort me personally or provide a constable for the purpose.
   • All our crew knew was that someone had been shot in the face while on patrol.
   • When not on patrol, resting or at the range, crews can be found cleaning, fitting, adjusting and testing the systems integral to these platforms.
   • Plainclothes and uniformed officers will be on patrol to prevent would-be troublemakers boarding flights.
   • The force is offering people the chance to accompany their local constable on patrol to see what it is really like at the cutting edge of crime-fighting.
   • We have not objected to any of the applications and we are not planning to have any extra bobbies on patrol for the rugby games.
   • If we try to do so, we cannot provide the commander with the quality of intelligence that we, as a community, owe to both him and the soldiers on patrol.
   • Six months after that, he was on patrol when another sniper opened up.
   • While on patrol, we continued to conduct random checks of these locations as well as provide equipment and salaries for the guards.
   • Imagine you are a sergeant taking a platoon of soldiers on patrol through rugged northern Australia.
   • I did my best to try to reassure him that it was highly unlikely that he would suffer another attack the next time he went out on patrol.
   • There is now 24 hour surveillance and uniformed wardens on patrol which has improved the situation somewhat.
   • The school has decided to put more teachers on patrol at break time to watch the children.
   • Armed officers have been deployed on patrol to protect the community and their unarmed colleagues.
   • Officers on patrol just happened to be passing and made the arrest.
   • On August 31, two U.S. solders were killed and a third wounded in the same area while on patrol.
   • The five men were detained Sunday after military officers on patrol found traces of blood leading to their houses, he said.
   • Heavily armed police and sniffer dogs were on patrol.
3. 1.3 A routine operational voyage of a ship or aircraft.
   a submarine patrol

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Apart from patrols at sea the ship has seen a number of significant events whilst on deployment.
   • Active duty airmen joined the patrols in the 1970s.
   • Three days later she sailed from Darwin to conduct routine patrols of Australia's northern waters and enforce the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone.
   • British submarines conducted 2,223 patrols in home waters, the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Far East.
   • During World War Two she served with the US Navy on anti-submarine patrols, convoy escort and even as the flagship of an amphibious assault group.
   • The decision to commence the naval and air patrols came 24 hours after two very important happenings for the RAN.
   • He argued that the shah remained a threat to the islands despite diplomatic warnings and air and naval patrols.
   • We continued our patrol looking for German aircraft.

   Synonyms

   patrolman/patrolwoman, sentinel, sentry, garrison, defender

   detail, scout, scouting party, task force, escort, convoy
4. 1.4British An official who controls traffic where children cross the road.
   there were two schools but no crossing patrol

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It has also urged the council to redouble its efforts to recruit more school crossing patrols.
   • School crossing patrols are in crisis in some parts of Greater Manchester and Cheshire, with councils struggling to recruit volunteers.
   • Until recently school crossing patrols were not allowed to stop traffic unless there were children crossing at the time.
   • The crossing patrol officer was hit as she stood in the middle of the road.
   • He said he believed children would be more at risk without a crossing patrol.
   • But parents were clamouring to get crossing patrols near their schools and the Commissioner was having difficulty finding people for the job.
   • Many school crossing patrols have been subjected to verbal abuse from irate motorists in recent years.
   • In areas where there was a pedestrian crossing, crossing patrols weren't replaced so we didn't get one.
   • It was observed that when the girls see the patrols they cross the road and when the officers are gone they cross back over to the beach.
   • Safety chiefs have been accused of putting children's lives at risk after axing a school crossing patrol because the road is too dangerous.
   • The shortage of crossing patrols was at its most severe before September when at one point there were 11 vacancies.
   • For about nine months there had not been a crossing patrol on what is one of the busiest roads in the borough.
   • Parents are allowed to park in The Sun pub's car park and cross the road from there but we need a crossing patrol person to do that job.
   • An officer from Wiltshire County Council's road safety department was due to come and show the crossing patrol officer how to use it, but he cried off at the last moment.
   • The work carried out by crossing patrols is often taken for granted but it is integral to the community.
   • Can't these motorists appreciate why the crossing patrols are there?
   • According to a council spokeswoman, drivers who fail to respond to crossing patrols are breaking the law and should be prosecuted but, who is there to charge them?
   • The crossing patrol will also be brought back in time for the new school year.
   • There are a number of vacancies for crossing patrols but the figure is no higher than in other authorities.
   • There are now 30,000 school crossing patrols in Britain, 360 in the service now run by Lancashire County Council.

2A unit of six to eight Scouts or Guides forming part of a troop.

Keep watch over (an area) by regularly walking or travelling around it.